The Fed: Clarkston, Michigan

I am super excited writing about this today because let me tell you this place is so ADORABLE. I absolutely fell in love with this place from the moment I stepped in here- from the ambiance to the food itself everything about The Fed is wonderful.

The Fed is a cute little nook, in the even cuter town of Clarkson. While there are a number of restaurants in Clarkson on my bucket list, this was the one I was strongly urged to try first. I met up with one of my best friends for dinner here last week and as soon as we walked through the doors I was impressed. The chic, modern-rustic decor was so cozy (perfect after getting caught in the rain). There were two bars, one central bar and then one in the back- which I think was actually a food bar. The rest of the seating ranged from large tables to wicker chairs, all of which perfectly meshed together.

However the food was truly the star here. After ordering some sangria, we decided to split the crispy cauliflower appetizer. This cauliflower was life changing. I know I can be dramatic but honestly this was the best cauliflower I have ever tasted. They batter it in a tempura mixture and then toss it in this delicious sweet and sour sauce. Between the texture and the flavor you could seriously mistake this cauliflower for chicken. I honestly haven't stopped thinking about it since we left.

I have also been obsessing over flatbread lately so I was pretty happy when I saw the grilled peach flatbread. On it was a creamy brie, grilled peaches, arugula (my favorite) and it was sprinkled with almonds and drizzled with a tangy/sweet sauce. I was also pleasantly surprised with how large the flatbread was- next time I would definitely choose to share with someone.

While I didn't try quite a bit, I definitely left that night knowing I'd be back soon. The rest of the menu looks so interesting, and I'm looking forward to trying their brunch as well! Until next time.

Cheers!

Lyssious


Below is a link to The Fed's website where you can look at the menu and make reservations:

The Fed

Thick n' Chewy Choco-Chunk Cookies

I love a lot of different foods but one of my all time FAVORITE foods is the classic chocolate chip cookie. I have spent years of my life attempting to make the best, thick, chewy, chocolate cookie. After searching thousands of sites and I think I have finally nailed it.

- 1 cup of Butter
- 2 tbsp of Veg. Oil
- 1 cup of Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup of Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp of Salt
- 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
- 2 tbsp of Cornstarch
- 3 cups of All Purpose Flour
- Lots of chocochunks (semi sweet, milk, dark chocolate

Instructions:

1. Preheat over at 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter in mixing bowl.
3. Add veg. oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, salt and vanilla into creamed butter and mix together until combined.
4. Sift together baking soda cornstarch and flour and slowly mix into wet mixture.
5. Mix in chocolate chunks (I like to use variations of chocolate to give it a little more depth) the more the merrier, each bite should have chocolate in it!
6. Refrigerate the dough for an hour or more (pro tip, package some up and freeze it and then throw in the oven for fresh baked cookies whenever you want).
7. Place on greased baking sheet or parchment paper and cook for 7-10 minutes until golden brown!

Asian-Sesame Quinoa Salad

Truthfully my inspiration behind this one, is a faded memory. One night back when I was in college I came home after one too many drinks and definitely raided my roommates portion of the fridge. Not really sure if lit lyssious was feeling healthy or what but I drunkenly ate my roommates Asian salad leftovers. Obviously it was good enough for me to think about it the next day, so I decided what the hell, I'm gonna create my own.

- Kale

- Carrots

- Red Cabbage

- Red Peppers

- Peas

- Quinoa 

- Peanuts

- Asian Sesame Dressing

Instructions: 

1. Heat a pan of half chicken broth half water and follow Quinoa cooking instructions. 

2. Cut up kale, red cabbage and red peppers.

2. Crush up peanuts.

3. Place kale, carrots, cabbage, peppers, peas and quinoa in a mixing bowl, drizzle Asian sesame dressing over top. 

4. Sprinkle desired amount of peanuts over top.